New HBO series ‘Looking’ to actually be based in San Francisco

San Francisco, which hasn’t had a television show actually based here for shooting since the paramedic drama “Trauma” bombed in 2010, has landed the new HBO series “Looking.”

HBO began filming in the city this week and has leased staging space in the Mission for the series, which will follow the lives of three gay men played by Frankie J. Alvarez, Murray Bartlett and Jonathan Groff.

With filming expected to last through November, Mayor Ed Lee’s office is projecting the show will contribute $2 million to the city’s economy.

“It’s really just an incredible situation for us to have them here,” San Francisco Film Commission Executive Director Susannah Greason Robbins said. “It shows we can do another series.”

San Francisco hasn’t hosted a successful TV series since “Nash Bridges.” “Monk” was set in San Francisco but filmed mostly in Los Angeles and Ontario. Bravo’s canceled reality show, “Start Ups: Silicon Valley,” revolved around Palo Alto pool parties. “Trauma” was based on Treasure Island and did plenty of shooting in the city proper, but it didn’t last long.